Part 4

I returned from my business trip half a month later.

The company threw a welcome-back banquet for me.

As the evening wore on, Ethan—who had arrived late—casually slid into the seat next to Amanda, the one reserved just for him.

What had been a lively atmosphere suddenly shifted, the tension palpable.

Everyone fell into an uneasy silence, their eyes fixed on me.

If this had happened in the past, I would've exploded.

But tonight, I merely smiled faintly and found an empty seat without making a fuss.

Not a single word escaped my lips.

Aside from the two of them, the rest of the guests visibly relaxed.

But the truth was, they didn't need to worry.

During my time away, I'd already made peace with everything.

I no longer cared.

As the crowd around us raised their glasses, Ethan stood up suddenly.

"Mr. Lucas, you truly are the backbone of this company. The success of this project? Half of it's due to you. I raise this glass in your honor—thank you for bringing such enormous profits to the company."

With that, he tilted his head back and drained the glass in one go.

"I've had mine. Now, it's your turn. You're free to drink at your own pace."

I remained still in my seat, not budging.

Amanda didn't seem pleased.

"Ethan offered you a drink, and you're just sitting there. What, you won't accept it from him? Or is it me you're refusing?"

I met her gaze, cool and composed.

Was she already defending him?

"I've taken antibiotics. I can't drink."

"You're lying!"

Amanda's disbelief was clear.

"You knew we were having this banquet, so you purposefully took antibiotics, didn't you?!"

I sighed, feeling the familiar weight of her unreasonable accusations.

I reached for my chopsticks, trying to eat something to settle my stomach, but before I could, Amanda slammed her hand down on the table.

"Hey!"

"Are you deaf or what?!"

The room fell into utter silence. It felt as though you could hear a pin drop.

All eyes were on us, the tension thick in the air.

Just then, Ethan spoke up.

"Come on, Amanda, don't get so worked up."

He got up, holding his drink, and walked right up to me.

"Mr. Lucas, whether you want to or not, you've got to drink this. I'm apologizing sincerely here, and you can't just leave me hanging like this, can you?"

I looked up at him, a smile curling at the corner of my lips.

"I've had antibiotics. Are you having trouble understanding that?"

With that, I calmly knocked the drink from his hand.

The wine splashed all over him.

At that, Amanda lost it completely.

"Are you out of your mind?!"

She stormed toward me.

"You think just because you landed this project, you can do whatever you want?!"

"Do whatever I want?"

I shook my head, letting out a small, dry chuckle.

"Think whatever you like."

My calmness seemed to drive her even further over the edge. She grabbed a bottle of wine, poured a large glass, and shoved it in my face.

"If you won't drink Ethan's wine, you're definitely going to drink mine, right?"

Her eyes were sharp, and the underlying threat in her voice was unmistakable.

"If you don't drink, pack up and get out. Starting tomorrow, you're no longer welcome at the company!"

A collective gasp filled the room.

Everyone knew how much I had contributed to the company's success.

But Amanda seemed to have missed that point entirely.

With a calm smile, I reached into my jacket pocket, pulled out the resignation letter I had prepared earlier, and said,

"I won't drink. This is my resignation letter."

"Starting tomorrow, I won't be working here anymore."